Winter Night
by GaleSynch
Summary: Orion Black confronts his son before he leaves 12 Grimmauld Place forever. Orion, Sirius and the ever-growing chasm between them. 20/100.


**In The Winter Night**

**oOo**

"You truly have not an ounce of the Slytherin your mother and I have tried to instill within you."

He sees his son tense, but Sirius doesn't turn to acknowledge his father. Orion's trained-eye sees his son's wand arm -his right hand- inching into his robes, most likely to draw his wand. Orion, even in the dark, sees the trunk Sirius is holding and he sees how white his son's knuckles exactly are.

"You're leaving, I see," says Orion drily.

This time, Sirius whirls around in an emotion of hate, anger and defiance. "You can't stop me!" he yells. He seems to realize he's talking too loud then because the next time he speaks, it's in a lower voice, deadly and full of promise as he draws his wand. "I've had enough. Nothing you can do will make me stay."

"And you're not of age," points out Orion dully.

He sees distrust, suspicion, loathing on Sirius' face and he wonders, briefly, how he'd let this situation spiral out of hand. Orion has always hidden behind paperwork and the mask he's so carefully constructed over the years, content to stay in the dark and watch over his family, and he lets his wife discipline their children. He thinks it's working because Regulus never makes the same mistake twice -well, he's never been caught by Walburga.

It takes Orion far too long to notice that Sirius isn't learning at all. Careful observation alerts Orion that his oldest son is irking his wife deliberately. He doesn't call the young boy out on it, believing it to be a phase because Orion was rebellious when he's a child and his mother had succeeded in beating that out of him.

The icy wind blows a snowflake into Sirius' hair. It's entirely reflex that Orion reaches out to pluck it out of his son's unruly hair. Sirius is too much like his mother for his own good- the same haunting good looks that Orion had fallen in love with, the temper, the defiance and the power- and if Orion blinks and tilts his head a little to that side, he could've been looking at Walburga.

Sirius flinches from the sudden movement and hisses- like a cornered cat.

"Is this what you want?"

"Yes!" snaps Sirius. "I'll go to the Potters. Their place is home- the only home I've ever had." He sneers at the hidden entrance to Grimmauld Place- the house and home that Orion fortifies as heavily as Hogwarts to keep his family safe. "You're not going to stop me, old man, I'll do whatever it takes," he says.

Orion remembers, briefly, a time when he and Walburga are still young and wild, of his future wife who'd snuck into his house regardless of her parents' wishes. He doesn't think Sirius will be happy if he knows just how much like his mother he is.

"You should go to Alphard's-"

"So you'll have an easier time catching me?" snarls Sirius, all fiery and temper.

"I was about to say that Alfie's always liked you and he would've been happy to take you in, regardless of what Walburga has to say," continued Orion, unperturbed. He's too used to Walburga's temper to be fazed by Sirius' outburst and high-strung actions.

Sirius is still suspicious. "Why are you... well- why aren't you stopping me?" He glares at Orion. "You're just standing there - like - like you think this is going to be temporary! I'm serious - I'm leaving for good- "

"I know," says Orion. "and I'm here to see you off." He's here to see his oldest son off like he's never done for either Regulus or Sirius when they board the Hogwarts Express for their respective first time.

"Why do you care?"

The answer is simple. "Because you're my son," he says and he turns and walks back to his house.

Sirius calls him back. "You-!" Orion turns when his son's voice rises an octave higher. "I hate you! You- you're pretending like you fucking care when you never did! Where the hell were you when that bitch was raving like a mad lunatic? Did you see what she's done to me? Did you know how much I wish that you-the Dad who never did anything-to do something? You're the worst fucking dad ever, Mr. Potter was the one there who helped me through every phase in my life where _you_ should have been-uft!"

The wind's biting even harder into his cheek. A snowstorm's coming but Orion doesn't care; he stands there, in the middle of the snow, arms wrapped stiffly and awkwardly around his son who's frozen speechless in shock from the unexpected action. Orion can't recall the last time he's held his son like this.

"Let go," snarls Sirius quietly.

Orion does after a while. Sirius is quiet now, downcast.

"I hate you," says Sirius spitefully, but his knuckles are whiter than snow as he heaves his trunk and soldiers on in the winter night.

**oOo**

"You deny me your eldest son, Orion? I have seen young Sirius' talent. We can use another spy-"

"No," says Orion firmly, eliciting gasps of horror and shock from the gathered purbeloods. Orion registers, but ignores, his wife's hand clamping onto his hand. "He won't be joining you."

"Why?"

"Because he's my son." _And not even you, Voldemort, will be able to make him do something he doesn't want to._

**oOo**

* * *

_Might be my own wishful thinking but I don't believe parents who raise their own kids could ever not love them, or even cared a single shred. Done in thirty minutes so apologies for the mistakes._


End file.
